Method:-Heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes then add the garlic and tomatoes and sauté for a further 3 minutes. Once done transfer to a plate and leave to one side.

Preheat your grill to high. Return the pan to the stove, add the whisked eggs and cook for around 5 minutes. Cover the omelette with the cheddar cheese and place the pan under the grill until the cheese has melted and the omelette has puffed up slightly (remember to make sure the handle of the frying pan is outside the oven). Transfer the omelette to a plate, scatter over the tomato and onion mixture along with the jalapeños, feta and coriander.

This was a late breakfast which was quick and easy to make and oh so tasty. I drizzled some Kankun habanero and jalapeño sauce over the top for an extra zing. An ideal recipe for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Avocado would be great with this as well, unfortunately the "perfectly ripe avocados " I had ordered were far from ripe! Oh well, there is always next time.

Cook the quinoa following the pack instructions, then rinse in cold water and drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile mix the butter, chilli and garlic into a paste. Toss the chicken fillets in 2 tsp of the olive oil with some seasoning. Lay in a hot griddle pan and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate, dot with the spicy butter and set aside to melt.

Next tip the tomatoes, olives, onion, feta and mint into a bowl. Toss in the cooked quinoa. Stir through the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and zest, season well. Serve with the chicken fillets on top, drizzled with any buttery chicken juices.

This is a nice light zesty dinner with scope for chopping and changing the ingredients to suit your own taste. As an addition I added some rocket to the dish, you could also add roughly chopped cucumber. The recipe is courtesy of BBC goodfood

Thursday, 15 October 2015

Well, originally we were due to have tuna salad this evening however it was pretty chilly out and I got to thinking what can I do to pep this up, and this is what I came up with and boy was it tasty....

1 red pepper thinly sliced

2 flour tortillas

2 tbsp of kankun chipotle sauce

1/4 block of feta cheese (cubed)

4 tbsp sweetcorn

1 jar of line caught tuna

Couple of handfuls of pea shoots

Handful of sliced black olives

2 soft boiled eggs

Drizzle of rapeseed vinaigrette

Method:-

Spread the kankun sauce over the flour tortillas, place on a baking tray and place in the oven at 200 degrees for around 10 minutes. Once done remove and leave to one side to cool slightly. Bring to the boil a small pan of water and boil the eggs for 5 and a half minutes, then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Scatter the pea shoots over the tortillas along with the sweetcorn and sliced peppers. Break up the tuna and place on top of the tortilla and crumble the feta on the top and scatter the black olives over it. Carefully peel the soft boiled egg and place on top of each tortilla. Drizzle with the rapeseed dressing (or dressing of choice) cut into the egg so the yolk oozes out and enjoy.

I really hope you enjoy this as much as we did, was something different and spur of the moment and it worked.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Lay out 3 slices of the prosciutto so they overlap, repeat with the rest of the prosciutto so you have 4 piles.

Put a frying pan over a high heat. Season the chops with salt and pepper then sear in the hot pan on both sides. Place a seared chop on top of each pile of prosciutto. Divide the sliced apple and Stilton between the prosciutto piles, on top of the pork. Wrap the prosciutto around each of the parcels to hold it all in place and secure with a rosemary sprig. Place the parcels in a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the pork is cooked through. Serve with mashed potato and greens and cooking juices from the parcels.

This was a perfect dish for an Autumnal evening, homely and comforting. Recipe courtesy of Jamie Oliver.

Heat the oil in a medium pan over a low heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until translucent. Add the garlic, pepper and vine tomatoes and cook, stirring for 6-8 minutes until the tomatoes have softened. Make a space in the centre of the mixture then add the chilli powder, paprika and cumin. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile season and cook the mince in a separate pan over a high heat until browned. Drain the fat from the mince and add the mince to the tomato mixture along with the wine. Stir over a high heat until the wine evaporates. Stir in the oregano and thyme, then the tomato paste. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 minute. Add the tinned tomatoes and stock. Cook for 5 minutes, stir occasionally. Add the bay and cinnamon, then cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and stir in the beans and sweetcorn, then cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Taste and season the chilli then stir in the chocolate until it has melted. Remove the pan from the heat and discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick.

Whilst you can serve the chilli with rice, for this recipe I shallow fried several small flour tortillas and built a chilli stack, adding cheese, sour cream and jalapeño slices along with homemade guacamole. This chilli has a great flavour however I do prefer a bit more heat, I therefore added a diced red chilli and a good helping of Kankun habanero sauce to give it a bit more bite. Credit to Chef Ernesto Puga Cardoso for the recipe.Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Method:-Peel and finely slice the garlic, finely slice the chilli, then roughly chop the mushrooms. Add the olive oil (few glugs), butter and garlic to a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Fry for 1 minute, add the mushrooms and chilli, then pick the thyme leaves and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, add 100ml of boiling water, then cook for around 10 minutes or until,softened.

To make the fritters, place the ricotta into a large bowl and beat until smooth. Add the flour, egg and a few gratings of lemon zest. Finely grate the Parmesan and add to the bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.

Heat a good splash of olive oil in a medium pan over a medium heat, then add heaped tablespoons of the mixture, making sure you space them out. Cook for around 10 minutes or until,golden and cooked through, turning halfway then transfer to a plate.

Whilst the fritters are cooking, place the black pudding into a small frying pan with a dash of olive oil and gently fry, turning occasionally. Place the pancetta onto some foil on a tray and cook under a medium grill for 6-8 minutes, turning once, until crisp.

Bring to the boil a small saucepan of water and boil 2 eggs for 5 1/2 minutes, once done rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Roughly chop the parsley and add to the mushrooms, add a squeeze of lemon juice and toss well. Divide between the plates, top with the black pudding, fritters, pancetta and the soft boiled egg. Enjoy, this is such a tasty dish, packed full of flavour, great for a Friday night dinner at the end of a hard week.

Firstly make the sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped onion, cover with lid and gently fry for 8-10 minutes until well softened, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid, increase the heat a little and cook for 3 more minutes until the onions are pale golden brown. Reduce the heat, add the ginger and garlic and simmer gently for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Stir the curry powder, star anise, turmeric and a few twists of ground black pepper into the onions. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle over the plain flour and stir well. Gradually add the chicken stock, stirring constantly until it's incorporated. Add the tomato purée and bring to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Cover with cling film and set aside while you prepare the chicken.

One at a time place the chicken breasts on a board and cover with cling film. Bash the thickest part of the chicken with a rolling pin until the pieces have an even depth. Soft the flour on to a large plate. Beat the egg in a medium bowl until smooth. Sprinkle half the breadcrumbs over a small tray. Take a chicken breast and dust it in the flour. Shake off the excess flour and dip into the beaten egg then coat it in the breadcrumbs. Put the chicken on a tray whilst you coat the rest, adding the reserved breadcrumbs after coating two breasts. Chill for 30-60 minutes if you have time, as this will help the breadcrumb coating to set.

Pour the oil into a deep non-stick frying pan and set over a medium heat. Using tongs lower the chicken breasts into the hot oil and cook for 5-6 minutes each side until the chicken is crisp and golden. Five minutes before the chicken is ready pour the curry sauce into a pan and warm over a low heat. Slice the chicken breasts and serve on warmed plates with steamed rice and some hot sauce.

Method :-Place the sliced chicken pieces into a container, add your marinade, mix well and place into the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Fry the bacon in a small amount of oil until crisp, once done remove and place onto a plate a cover with kitchen roll to remove any excess oil. Either fry or cook your chicken in the oven for around 20 minutes. Dress your plate with the salad, add the peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and chicken pieces. I drizzled a rapeseed dressing over it which added some additional flavour.

This is a quick and easy light dinner which shouldn't take long to put together.

Peel and stone the avocados and put the flesh in a food processor. Add the yoghurt, herbs, lime juice and some salt and pepper, then whizz until smooth. Thinly slice the radishes and quarter the lettuces lengthways. Divide the avocado purée among 4 dishes, add 2 lettuce quarters to each then top with a flaked salmon fillet. Scatter with the radish slices and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil.

This is a very light dish, ideal for dining Al fresco whilst enjoying the sunshine.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and dry fry the chorizo for a couple of minutes, add the onion, chilli and garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes. Add all the tomatoes, paprika, coriander and 100ml of water. Season well, stir then cook over a medium heat for around 15 minutes or until the cherry tomatoes have softened. Make 4 indentations in the sauce and crack an egg into each one. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 6-8 minutes or until the whites are almost set. Scatter with fresh coriander and pickled jalapeños and serve straightaway.

This is a great dish perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I like it spicy so drizzled some Kankun habanero sauce on top of each egg. I also placed a warm tortilla on each plate and served the eggs on top.

Grease a muffin tray and pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the bacon on a tray and cook in the oven for around 15 minutes (don't over cook as the bacon needs to be pliable). Whilst the bacon is cooking cut the sausages into small pieces and fry in a small frying pan until cooked through. Mix the eggs together in a small jug, add a dash of milk, few grinds of pepper and a few glugs of the habanero sauce (vary amount according to how hot you like it).

Line each of the muffin moulds with a slice of bacon, place a few bits of the sausage into the base of each mould, sprinkle with some of the red pepper and grated cheese and then top up with the beaten egg mixture. Place a jalapeño ring on top of each muffin and cook in the oven for around 20-25 minutes. Once cooked turn the oven off and leave the muffins in there for 15 minutes to settled down. Remove from the oven and once cooled slightly pop them out of the mould and enjoy.

I enjoy spicy food and the hit of the Kankun sauce along with the jalapeño gave the muffins a good kick of heat. This is a great breakfast/brunch dish and has virtually no carbs so great for those who are watching their carb intake.

Method :-First make the salsa, dice the mango (hedgehog method works best) and add the onion, coriander, chilli, olive oil, salt and pepper, mix to combine and set aside.

Pre-heat your grill to medium, place the chicken fillets on a foil lined tray and cook for 6-7 minutes turning once. Add the sliced Halloumi to the tray and cook for a few minutes until the cheese starts to brown, turn over the cheese and continue cooking until the other side is also browned. Whilst the chicken and cheese is cooking, heat a small frying pan and fry the chorizo until it crisps up.

Heat your tortillas according to instructions, place some of the lettuce and tomatoes on each of the tortillas and divide the chicken fillets and cheese onto each tortilla and top with the mango salsa.

This is a light, fresh and zingy dinner; if you want to go the veggie option remove the chicken and chorizo. For the chicken I dusted the fillets with Cajun spices to pep it up a bit, also you can spritz flavoured oil onto the Halloumi.

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 7-8 minutes or until al dente. Drain, reserving 250ml of the cooking liquid and set aside. Heat the oil in the saucepan over a medium heat, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the cream and the reserved water and cook for 1 minute. Return the pasta to the pan with the parmesan, prosciutto, ricotta and basil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Divide the pasta between 4 plates, top with a soft boiled egg, extra basil leaves and grated parmesan.

To soft boil the eggs, bring a medium pan of water to the boil and cook for 6 minutes, once done drain under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Take care when peeling the eggs as they will be very soft!

For this recipe I made my own fresh pasta which really made the dish. This is a quick and easy light dinner ideal for those summer evenings.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the chicken into a snug fitting dish with the paprika, drizzle of olive oil and a little salt and pepper, toss well until the chicken is coated and the place in the oven for 25 minutes. Place the pancetta over the top of the chicken and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.

Bring a small pan of water to the boil and cook the eggs for 6 minutes for soft-boiled. Remove from the heat and run under cold water in order to stop the cooking process.

To make the dressing, crumble the Stilton into a large jug. Finely chop and add the chives along with a glug of extra virgin olive oil and the remaining ingredients. Whisk well, season to taste and pop in the fridge until needed.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and leave to one side to cool slightly. Remove the outer leaves from the lettuce then roughly chop and place into a medium sized bowl. Halve the avocado and remove the stone, peel and roughly chop and place into the bowl along with the cherry tomatoes.

Shred the chicken with two forks and add to the lettuce along with the crumbled pancetta. Carefully peel the soft boiled egg and place on salad. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix through, snip the cress on top and serve.

This is a light tasty lunch and for more of a cheese flavour, add extra cheese to the dressing to really pep it up. Recipe from Jamie Oliver.

Method :-Place the chilli jam, soy sauce and 1 tsp sesame oil and chicken in a bowl, mix to combine, cover and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. Add the mayonnaise, lime zest, juice and remaining sesame oil to a bowl and and mix together and set aside. Preheat a char-grill pan over a medium heat, brush with olive oil. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes each side or until cooked through. Spread the baguette with the mayonnaise and fill with the chicken, cabbage, carrot, coriander and chilli. Serve with the lime wedges. I accompanied this with oven fries topped with umami rush and some extra mayo on the side. Really tasty Saturday night dinner, fresh and zingy and left me wanting me more.

Monday, 22 June 2015

Pork shoulder (size depending on how many you are feeding, 5kg serves approx. 10)

Olive oil

Sea salt & ground black pepper

2 heaped teaspoons of smoked paprika

For the burgers (makes approx 6)

1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ cup diced shallots

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp thyme leaves

2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

2 chiles de arbol finely diced

2 lbs pork mince

Salt & Pepper

120g finely diced chorizo

4 slices smoked bacon finely diced

6 burger buns

Method:-

Preheat your oven to the highest temperature, score the pork skin about 1cm deep all over with a sharp knife (if not done already). Drizzle over a little olive oil, season generously with salt, pepper and the paprika and rub in to the pork. Place the pork into a roasting tin (I suggest lining the tin with foil) then place in the oven, turn the heat down to 160 degrees and cook for 4 hours, basting occasionally. After 4 hours turn the heat down to 150 degrees and cook for a further 2 hours or until you can pull the meat apart easily. Remove the crackling and leave to one side and pull the pork apart using two forks, cover with tin foil until needed.

Whilst the pork is cooking, in a medium pan, toast the cumin seeds over a medium heat for a few minutes until the seeds release their aroma and darken slightly. Pound the seeds in a mortar or grinder until coarsely ground. Return the pan to the stove, add the olive oil and heat for a couple of minutes, add the shallots, turn the heat down to medium and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. Add the garlic, thyme, cumin, sliced chile, a few grinds of black pepper and a couple of pinches of salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the shallots become translucent, set aside to cool. In a large bowl combine the pork, chorizo, bacon, shallot mixture & parsley, season with a few grinds of black pepper and a few good pinches of salt. Shape the meat into 6 burgers, chill in the refrigerator if not using right away.

You can either BBQ your burgers, grill them or fry them in a frying pan with a little olive oil. Once cooked through, place your burger onto a toasted bun and top with the pulled pork. For this recipe, I mixed the pulled pork with Kankun Chipotle sauce to give it extra flavour, I also topped with burger with smoked cheese and served with slaw and spicy wedges.

These burgers are perfect for a summer bbq and always go down a treat.

Heat your oven to 200 degrees and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Cut the top and bottom off the pepper and then cut into strips. Toss in 1 tbsp of olive oil, ¼ tsp salt and a pinch of pepper. Lay out on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 15-20 mins until starting to brown at the edges.

Boil a pot of water with ½ tsp of salt for your pasta. Finely dice the onion and garlic. Roughly chop the basil.

Cook the pasta for 10 mins or until ‘al dente’.

Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a pan over a medium heat. Once warm, add the onions and sliced chorizo and cook gently for 5 mins. Add the garlic and a few good grinds of black pepper and cook for another minute.

Cut the olives in half length ways and add to the pan along with 2 tbsp of pasta water. Tip: Adding pasta water is a classic Italian trick and adds some salt and starchiness to give you a bit of a sauce.

When the pasta is cooked, it’s time to combine everything. Add the roasted tomatoes and peppers to the pan with half the crumbled goat’s cheese and all but 1 tbsp of the chopped basil. Add the pasta and toss everything together.

Serve the pasta with the remaining goat’s cheese crumbled on top, the remaining basil, the pine nuts and a drizzle of olive oil

Heat a large frying pan with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Slice the corn off the cob, place into the frying pan and cook for several minutes, add the garlic and stir. Cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Once done, put the sweet corn into a large bowl, add the coriander, red onion, mayo, pinch of salt, few grinds of black pepper, lime juice and a good few dashes of habanero sauce (more or less depending how hot you like it) along with the feta cheese (reserving some to top the dish) and jalapeño peppers, stir thoroughly and serve with your dish. For this dish I served alongside BBQ beef brisket and jersey new potatoes tossed in butter.

This is a fresh and summery dish, great for bbq's and for eating Al fresco.

Drain the tuna and break up into small pieces into a bowl, mix with the olive oil, lemon juice, mayonnaise, pepper juice and diced red onion.

Drain the peppers and stuff with the tuna mixture. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10-12 minutes. Whilst the pasta is cooking heat through your pasta sauce, a chilli/tomato sauce is good. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and plate up, placing the stuffed peppers amongst the pasta and drizzle with the pasta sauce.